Albert Einstein:
I used to wonder how it comes about that the electron is negative.
Negative-positive—these are perfectly symmetric in physics. There is no
reason whatever to prefer one to the other. Then why is the electron
negative? I thought about this for a long time and at last all I could
think was “It won the fight!” ...(more by
Einstein)

Richard Feynman:
It is the facts that matter, not the proofs. Physics can progress
without the proofs, but we can't go on without the facts ... if the
facts are right, then the proofs are a matter of playing around with
the algebra correctly. ...(more by
Feynman)

Atomic Bomb:
I have always fancied that the end of the world will be when some
enormous boiler, heated to three thousand millions of atmospheric
pressure, shall explode and blow up the globe. ... They [the Americans]
are great boilermakers. — Jules
Verne (1863). ...(more on Atomic Bomb)

Blood:
Ancient stars in their death throes spat out atoms like iron which this
universe had never known. ... Now the iron of old nova coughings
vivifies the redness of our blood. —
Howard Bloom ...(more on Blood)

Weekly, from September 1942 to July 1945, Charles F. Kettering
(who invented the first automobile self-starter) gave five-minute
intermission talks about Science and Invention during the radio
broadcasts of the General Motors Symphony of the Air. These radio talks
are a fascinating legacy from the mind of a prolific inventor.

Henning Brand's “Philosopher's Stone”: There once lived in the
Middle Ages in the German town of Hamburg a merchant by the name of
Hennig Brand. We do not know how inventive he was in his trade
operations, but can assert confidently that he had only a very crude
idea of chemistry...
One fine evening the former merchant had a streak of luck. A substance,
white as snow, settled at the bottom of his retort. It burned quickly,
forming thick asphyxiating fumes. And the strangest thing was that it
glowed in the dark. The cold light it gave off was so bright that Brand
could read his ancient alchemical treatises by it (for him these
treatises had now taken the place of business letters and receipts). (complete
story)

Introduction: The history of the search for perpetual motion
does not afford a single instance of ascertained success; all that
wears any appearance of probability remains secret, and like other
secrets, can not be defended in any satisfactory way against the
opinions of the skeptical, who have in their favor, in this instance,
an appeal to learned authorities against the principle of all such
machines, and the total want of operativeness in all known practical
results. Published statements afford sorry examples of talents and
ingenuity strangely misapplied. Some, but very few, are slightly
redeemed from contempt by a glimpse of novelty. Of genius all are
deficient, and the reproductions of known fallacies show a remarkable
ignorance of first principles on one side and of the most ordinary
sources of information on the other. ... (more)

Nature bears long with those who wrong her. She is patient under abuse. But when abuse has gone too far, when the time of reckoning finally comes, she is equally slow to be appeased and to turn away her wrath. (1882)
-- Nathaniel Egleston, who was writing then about deforestation, but speaks equally well about the danger of climate change today.

Carl Sagan:
In science it often happens that scientists say, 'You know that's a really good argument; my position is mistaken,' and then they would actually change their minds and you never hear that old view from them again. They really do it. It doesn't happen as often as it should, because scientists are human and change is sometimes painful. But it happens every day. I cannot recall the last time something like that happened in politics or religion.
(1987) ...(more by
Sagan)

Albert Einstein:
I used to wonder how it comes about that the electron is negative.
Negative-positivethese are perfectly symmetric in physics. There is no
reason whatever to prefer one to the other. Then why is the electron
negative? I thought about this for a long time and at last all I could
think was It won the fight! ...(more by
Einstein)

Richard Feynman:
It is the facts that matter, not the proofs. Physics can progress
without the proofs, but we can't go on without the facts ... if the
facts are right, then the proofs are a matter of playing around with
the algebra correctly. ...(more by
Feynman)

In the margin of most pages, there is a multiple-choice quiz. Each page
has a question served randomly from the database. Although there are
some easy questions, others are designed to be challenging — to make
you think. If you pick the right answer, congratulations. Three times
in a row you can be very proud. Some questions should leave you feeling
you found out something you hadn't thought about very much before.
Enjoy!
... (quiz on this page)

Sign up for the email newsletter, and you will receive a daily dose of
the science events and people for that day. Each newsletter may include
a description and link to a feature article, some quotations from the
scientists born or died on the day, and some quiz questions. Some days
the scientist names or events are very familiar, and the questions are
easier. Other days, the questions should raise your interest in
knowing about the lesser known scientists. There is a link to instant
answers online, or they also come in the next day's newsletter.
... (sign
up)

You can print out a calendar page for each month of the year which has
a thumbnail picture related to a science anniversary on each day.
Usually it will be on
the person's birth day, some are on the date of death, and a few are
for an event.
... (more)